Hinged spray plate and box for dishwashers

ABSTRACT

A spray box connectable to a water inlet in a dishwasher and including a separate spray plate hinged to the spray box and releaseably closeable thereover by means of a quick release fastener whereby to facilitate cleaning of the spray box and spray plate, the spray plate being formed preferably with three parallel semicylindrical protrusions each of which contains a plurality of spaced slots, and a sealing gasket being located between the confronting surfaces of the spray plate and the spray box.

United States Patent Roger L. Hoffman Pequannock, NJ. 799,752

Feb. 17, 1969 Mar. 9, 1971 General Electric Company Inventor Appl. No.Filed Patented Assignee HINGED SPRAY PLATE AND BOX FOR DISHWASHERS 9Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 239/568, 239/587, 239/600 Int. Cl B05b 1/14 Field of Search239/568, 587, 600

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l.7l2,885 5/l929 Hartfield239/600X 3,233,782 2/1966 Ullman, Jr., et al. 239/600X 3,444,870 5/ l969 Lyman 239/600X Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King Attorneys-Arthur E. Fournier, Jr, David M. Schiller, Frank L. Neuhauser, Melvin M. Goldenbergand Oscar B. Waddell ABSTRACT: A spray box connectable to a water inletin a dishwasher and including a separate spray plate hinged to the spraybox and releaseably closeable thereover by means of a quick releasefastener whereby to facilitate cleaning of the spray box and sprayplate, the spray plate being formed preferably with three parallelsemicylindrical protrusions each of which contains a plurality of spacedslots, and a sealing gasket being located between the confrontingsurfaces of the spray plate and the spray box.

PATENTEDHAR 9:97! 3.668.935

sum 2 or 3 F 5 lNVEN/OR Posse L. HOFFMAN ll TTORNE Y HINGED SPRAY PLATEAND BOX FOR DISHWASHERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention My invention relates to dishwashing equipment and moreparticularly to an improvement in wash spray water means for useprimarily in rack conveyor type commercial dishwasher.

2. Description of the Prior Art All rack conveyor type commercialdishwashers utilize to some degree a stationary spray head device. Thefunction of the spray head is to provide a controllable outlet for thewash spray water above and below the racked dishes. The rack conveyortype of dishwasher, by definition, utilizes stationary prewash, wash,and rinse spray heads and moves the rack of dishes between the sprayheads at a predetermined speed. National sanitation standards fix thegallons per minute pumped per inch of linear rack speed for variousmachine categories.

Traditionally, the spray head component has comprised an assembly of apipe manifold, slotted spray pipes attached to the manifold, andremovable end caps on the spray pipes. When the pump is on, water iscirculated into the upper and lower spray manifolds, then into the spraypipes and out the spray slots in the pipes. One variation on the spraypipe approach has been a prior art form of spray box, normallyfabricated of stainless steel, and containing a plurality of plasticnozzles arranged thereon in a suitable manner to provide the properspray pattern.

A further requirementof any spray head assembly is ease of cleaning. Dueto recirculated contaminants, the operator must be able to quickly andeffectively clean the slots and passage within any spray head. Dependingon the extent of use of the dishwasher, this cleaning may have to beaccomplished on the order of several times a day. Spray pipes aresanitized by removing the individual end caps, inserting a cleaningbrush, and scrubbing the inside of the pipes. Not only is this a tediousand timeconsuming task, but it can also be extremely difficult to getthe spray pipes completely cleaned. In addition there is often a problemin ensuring that the slots in the pipes remain properly aligned so as toprovide the proper spray pattern.

Insofar as the cleaning of the aforesaid prior art form of spray box andnozzles thereof is concerned, the spray box with nozzles is removed fromthe dishwasher as a complete assembly, placed in a sink or otherwisescrubbed to remove entrapped contaminants within the box or spraynozzles. Although such a spray box is considered by some to be easier toclean than spray pipes, the total time it takes to clean either form ofspray head assembly nevertheless normally necessitates restricting theperformance of such cleaning to those periods of the day wherein littleuse is being made of the dishwasher. Thus, the extended period of timerequired to clean either the spray pipes or the prior art form of spraybox, whichever type of spray head assembly a dishwasher may be equippedwith, represents nonproductive use time for the dishwasher, and as suchit has become a fairly well-recognized fact that this is considered tobe one of the primary detracting features of this type of commercialdishwasher. On the other hand, though attempts have been made to obviatethis in herent disadvantageous characteristic of this type ofdishwasher, they have up to this time enjoyed only limited success.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the presentinvention to provide a novel and improved spray box assembly forcommercial dishwashers which is.characterized in having a constructionwhich provides easier accessibility to the various component partsthereof for cleaning purposes than do prior existing types of spray headassemblies.

it is another object of the present invention to provide such a spraybox assembly for commercial dishwashers wherein the spray box assemblymay be sanitized without removal from the dishwasher and in considerablyless time than heretofore possible with respect to prior existing typesof spray head assemblies.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a spraybox assembly for commercial dishwashers which is relatively inexpensiveto manufacture, simple to assemble, and but yet which is durable in useand :reliable in operation.

SUMMARY THE INVENTION In accordance with a preferred form of the presentinvention there is provided a spray box assembly operatively connectableto a water inlet in a commercial dishwasher. The spray box assemblyincludes a separate spray plate having slots therein and a spray box towhich the spray plate is hinged and releasably secured, thereby tofacilitate cleaning of the spray box and spray plate. The hinged sprayplate is closed over the spray box by quick release fasteners, and asealing gasket is located between the confronting surfaces of the sprayplate and spray box. Also, the spray plate is formed preferably withseveral parallel semicylindrical protrusions each of which contains aplurality of spaced slots.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of adishwasher having spray box assemblies in accordance with thepresentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view showing the entrance end of thedishwasher of FIG. 1, with an upper and a lower spray box assemblythereof being illustrated in skeleton;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lower spray box assembly of thedishwasher of FIG. 2 taken substantially on the line 3-3;-

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spray box assembly in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a spray box assembly in accordance with thepresent invention with the spray plate thereof broken away for purposesof clarity of illustration;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lower spray box assembly of FIG.3 taken substantially on the line 6-6; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lower spray box assembly of FIG.3 taken substantially on the line 7-7.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of thedrawing, the invention is shown as incorporated in a rack conveyor typecommercial dishwasher generally designated by reference numeral 10, andwhich comprises a housing 11 divided into a pair of washing compartmentsl2 and 13 integrally arranged in side-by-side relation. In accordancewith one embodiment of the invention, the compartment 12 may take theform of a conventional prewash section as it is commonly referred to inthe art wherein the soiled dishes are initially given a. preliminarywash to remove the bulk of the food particles which commonly remain onthe dishes even after the latter have been scraped prior to being fedinto the dishwasher 10. Compartment 12 may also take form of aconventional power wash section. Compartment 13 on the other handconstitutes the spray compartment wherein the so-called actual cleansingof the dishes takes place or could constitute a rinse compartment in thecase where compartment 12 is a wash section. Although not shown it is tobe understood that in accordance with conventional practice the spraycompartment 13 includes at its exit end a rinse means wherein the dishesafter being washed are subjected to a final rinse with water which is ata maximum sanitizing temperature just prior to their exit from thedishwasher 10.

The compartments 13 and 12 are each closed with a door 14 and 15,respectively, vertically slideable in channels (not shown) suitablyprovided for this purpose. Each of the doors 15 and 14 is provided witha full-width door lift 16 and 17, respectively, appropriately recessedso as not to present any protrusions which might accidentally be engagedby equipment or personnel passing closely adjacent thereto, or whichmight catch on the clothing of the operator of the dishwasher 10. Thefull-width door lifts l6 and 17 allow the lifting action with respect tothe doors 14 and 15 to take place all along the entire front of thedishwasher while the doors l4 and permit an operator to readily reachall areas within the dishwasher interior. The dishwasher 10 ispreferably supported on a plurality of bulletlike legs 18, eachindividually adjustable, which are suitably secured to the under surfaceof the housing 11 at each of the four corners thereof.

The requisite water inlet means 19 and associated piping therefor arelocated in juxtaposed relation to the rear and top of the housing 11 ofdishwasher 10 as best seen with reference to F168. 1 and 2 of thedrawing. Suitable wash tanks are positioned behind the front tank panels20 and 21 of housing 11 for the purpose of receiving the excess of thewash water which has been sprayed on to the dishes, the latter sprayingbeing accomplished in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.The water which flows into the aforesaid wash tanks is normallyrecirculated by means of a pump (not shown). Inasmuch as the manner inwhich water is circulated and/or recirculated in a dishwasher such asthe dishwasher 10 is well-known to those skilled in the art and the factthat the manner in which this is accomplished is only indirectly relatedto the subject matter of the present invention, it has not been furtherdescribed herein.

As depicted in dotted lines in FIG. 1 of the drawing, dishes 23 suitablyretained in rack 24 are fed into the dishwasher 10 in the direction ofarrow 25, i.e., from right to left as viewed with reference to theaforesaid FIG. 1. Suitable flap members 26 are preferably positioned inthe entrance opening 27 and also in the exit opening (not shown) locatedat opposite ends in the housing 11 of dishwasher 10. These flap members26 are primarily provided for the purpose of substantially closing bothof the aforesaid openings so as to minimize the escape of wash water tothe exterior of the dishwasher 10. The flap members 26 selected for usefor this purpose are of course flexible enough to permit the rack 24 tobe passed into the interior of the dishwasher 10 without occasioning anydamage to the dishes 23 supported on the rack 24.

The racks 24 are moved through the dishwasher 10 by means of a conveyorchain (not shown) having a plurality of lugs projecting outwardlytherefrom which engage appropriate portions of each of the racks 24thereby causing the racks 24 to move therewith. One such lug 28 may beseen in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The racks 24 as they are caused to movethrough the dishwasher 10 are supported on a pair of channel-shapedmembers 29 and 30 extending substantially the entire length of thedishwasher 10. The channel-shaped members 29 and 30 as illustrated inFIG. 2 of the drawing are positioned by suitable means (not shown) injuxtaposed relation to the front and rear surfaces of the dishwasher 10.

A watertight control console 31 is suitable supported on the housing 11in juxtaposed relation to the compartment 12 at the entrance end of thedishwasher l0. Dials, switches, and indicators all generally designatedby the same reference numeral 32 appropriate to the operation of thedishwasher 10 are positioned on the vertical panel 33 of control console31 which is preferably inclined at a slight angle for easy readabilityof the instruments positioned thereon. A protective cover 34 precludesexcessive drippage of water on to the inclined panel 33, and alsoassists in preventing abuse to the console 31 which might be occasionedby the loaded racks 24 which pass in close relation thereto as they arebeing fed into the interior of the dishwasher 10.

The wash water spray means previously mentioned hereinabove preferablycomprises an upper and a lower spray box assembly 35 and 36,respectively, which are depicted in dotted lines in FIG. 2 of thedrawing. Inasmuch as upper and lower spray box assemblies 35 and 36,respectively, are essentially identical both in structure and method ofoperation, but differ in size the description thereof will be limited toa description of the lower spray box assembly 36 as illustratedparticularly in FIGS. 3-7 of the drawing.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the lower spray box assembly 36 illustratedtherein includes a spray box 37 and a spray plate or cover 38. The spraybox 37 as best seen with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawingincludes a rectangular base member 39 having an upstanding front flange40 (FIG. 6), and a pair of opposed upstanding side flanges 41 and 42,respectively (FIG. 7). The base member 39 is provided at its rear with adownwardly extending portion 39a which in association with the rearwall39b of base member 39 and the upper surface 390 thereof forms a waterchamber or manifold 43 for a purpose to be more fully describedhereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 7 the spray box 37 also may include a pair ofsubstantially U-shaped channel members 44 and 45 which extend inadjacent relation to side flanges 41 and 42, respectively, of basemember 39. The lower leg portions 44a and 45a of U-shaped channelmembers 44 and 45, respectively, are suitably secured to the interiorsurface of base member 39 such as by spot welding, etc. such that thecenter portions 44b and 45b of channel members 44 and 45 aresufiiciently spaced from the inner side of side flanges 41 and 42,respectively, to provide room for accommodating the sidewall portions ofspray plate 38 when the latter is moved to the closed position withrespect to spray box 37, as shown in FIG. 7 of the drawmg.

The upper leg portions 440 and 450 of U-shaped channel members 44 and45, respectively, extend inward in order to accommodate a gasket 46 madeof a suitable material such as rubber. Upper leg portions 440 and 450however may also be fabricated as part of side flanges 41 and 42 therebyeliminating surfaces 44b and 4519. As illustrated in FIG. 5 of thedrawing, the ends of upper leg portions 44c and 45c are actuallyembedded in gasket 46 so as to retain the latter thereon. In addition,it is preferable to adhesively bond the gasket 46 to the upper legportions 440 and 450, respectively, by use of a suitable adhesive. Itshould be noted that if used such an adhesive must be selected fromamongst those which will not be adversely affected by virtue of itscontact with water which is at an elevated temperature and containssuitable detergents, and an adhesive which conversely will not impartany detrimental characteristic to the wash water with which it comes incontact which would preclude usage of the wash water for its intendedpurpose, i.e., cleansing dishes.

Gasket 46 is similarly retained on the inwardly bent portion 40a ofupstanding front flange 40 of base member 39, and the inwardly extendingend portion of upper surface 390 of base member 39. In accordance withthe preferred embodiment of the invention, a gasket bracket 47 isutilized to provide additional support to the gasket 46 adjacent theinwardly extending end portion of upper surface 39c of base member 39,i.e., at the rear of spray box 37. The gasket bracket 47 comprises asubstantially flat rectangular member with the end 47a thereof mostclosely adjacent the gasket 46 being bent up substantially at a rightangle to the main portion 47b of the bracket 47. The gasket bracket 47is retained in juxtaposed relation to the lower surface of the gasket 46and in slightly spaced relation to the inner side of upper surface 39cof base member 39 by suitable means such as a screw 48 and nut 49, thescrew 48 passing through openings (not shown) suitably provided thereforin gasket bracket 47 and upper surface 39c. A suitable spacer 50 ispreferably interposed between upper surface 39c and gasket bracket 47for the purpose of imparting additional rigidity to the spray box 37 byminimizing any tendency which might exist for the gasket bracket 47 topivot about screw 48 and to avoid unequal compression of the lowersurface of gasket 46, i.e., the ower edge portion thereof furthest fromportion 47a of gasket bracket as viewed with reference to FIG. 6 of thedrawing. Spacer 50 is of course also provided with a suitable opening(not shown) to permit screw 49 to pass therethrough. Thus, the gasket 46completely surrounds the opening 511 comprising the open side of basemember 39, the latter opening 5ll being defined by upstanding frontflange 40, upper leg portions 44c and 450, and inwardly extending uppersurface 39c of base member 39, as best illustrated in F lG. 50f thedrawing. I g

Theother major component of spray box assembly 36 is the spray plate 38which is hinged to the spray box 37 so as to be capable of inoving froma closed position relative to the aforementioned opening 51 in basemember 39 of spray box 37 as illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 60f thedrawing to an open position as illustrated in dotted lines inaforementioned FIG. 6 to facilitate cleaning of the spray box assembly36. Spray plate 33 has a depending flange 52 extending along its frontand similar opposed depending flanges'53 and 54, respectively,extendingalong each of its sides. As best seen with reference to FIG. 7 of thedrawing, the depending flanges 53 and54 in the closed position of sprayplate 38 are received between flange 41 of base member 39 and thecorresponding center portion 44b of U-shaped channel member 44, and sideflange 42 and its corresponding center position 4512, respectively.Spray plate 38 is further provided at its rear with an upstanding flange55 which extends substantiallythe entire length thereof betweendepending flanges 53 and 54. The upstanding rear flange 55 is secured bysuitable means such as spot welding to one leg 56a of hinge member1 56.The other leg 56b of hinge member 56 in turn is similarly secured bysuitable means such as spot welding to the outer side of upper surface39c of base member 39 adjacent the portion of gasket46 retained on theletter member. The hinge member 56 thereby provides the means enablingthe spray plate 38 to pivot in moving from the closed to the openposition as previously. described hereinabove and as depicted in FIG. 6of the drawing'l.

, The spray plate 38 is formed with a plurality of spaced parallelsemicylindrical protrusions 57 each of which contains a plurality ofspaced slots 58. In accordance with the embodiment of the inventiondepicted in FIGS. 37 of the drawing the spray plate 38 is provided withthree such protrusions 57 with each protrusion 57 being provided withthree slots 58. It ;is to be understood however that the number ofprotrusions 57 as well as the number and size of the slots .58 thereinwill normally vary according to the nature of the specific dishwasher inwhich the spray box assembly of the instant invention is to be employed.The protrusions 57in tests have been found to provide a substantiallybetter water flow and spray pattern than it is possible to obtain from asprayplate having the same number of slots 58 or for that matter more orless slots, but slots which are placed along a flat portion of the uppersurface of the spray plate. In addition it will benoted that the slots58 are elongated in a direction transverse to the major axis of thethree parallel semicylindrical protrusions 57. That is, with the spraybox assembly 36 positioned inthe dishwasher the protrusions 57 extend inthe general direction of movement of the racks 24 whereas the slots 58are elongated in a direction transverse to the direction of movement ofthe racks 24. The

method of operation of the spray plate 38 will be more fully describedhereinafter. I l

' hi the closed position, the spray plate 38 is releasably fastened tothe spray box39 by means of a quick release fastener 59, whichcooperates with an essentially J-shaped book 60 which is secured bysuitable means such as spot welding to the exterior surface of dependingfront flange 52 of spray plate 35' The quick releasefastener 59 whichmay for example be of the type illustrated and described in US. Pat.3,127,205, is preferably mounted on one leg 61a of L-shaped bracket 61.As best seen in FIG. 6 of the drawing, the other leg 61b of L-shapedbracket 61 is suitably secured such as by welding to the under, i.e.,outer surface of base member 39 adjacent the upstanding front flange 40thereof.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 and 7 of the drawing, outwa rdlyfacing channel members 62 and 63 are illustrated therein as beingpositioned in juxtaposed relation tothe upstanding side flanges 41 and42, respectively, of base member 39 of lowerspray boxassembly 36. TheU-shaped channel members 62 and 63 which may be attached to the sideflanges 41 and 42, respectively, such as by welding are so provided inthe case of lower spray box assembly 36 for a dual purpose. Thus, itwill be noted with reference to FlG. 4 of the drawing, that each of theU-shaped channel members 62 and 63 carries at its forward end a screw 64and 65, respectively. When the spray box assembly 36 is positioned inthe dishwasher 10 as depicted in FlG. 2 of the drawing, the latterscrews 66 and 65 cooperate with suitable openings (not shown) providedtherefor in the support structure of housing 11 of dishwasher 10 wherebyto ensure that the aforesaid spray box assembly 36 is aligned in theproper location in the dishwasher l0, and also inassociationwithcooperating nuts (not shown) providea means ofsecuringtheforward end of the spray box assembly 36 to the aforesaidsupport structure of the housing 11. Additional mounting means (notshown) which are received in the small openings 66 suitably provided inthe rearwall 39b of referred to hereinabove to prevent the larger of thefood particles which are dislodged from the dishes being cleaned frompassing into the wash tanks which as noted earlier contain wash waterwhich isgenerally recirculated to the wash water spray means, iri'thiscase the spray box assemblies 35 and 36. Since obviouslyno such screens67 and 68 are employed along the top ofthe dishwasher 10, the U-shapedchannel members 62 and 63 need not necessarily be utilized inconjunction with the upper spray box assembly 35. Other suitablemounting means which are capable of ensuring the proper positioning andsecuring of the upper spray box assembly 35 to the support structure ofhousing 11 may be substituted in place of the U- shaped channel member62 and 63 and the corresponding screws 64 and 65 carried thereby bythose skilled in the art without departingfrom the true spirit and scopeof the invention.

With further reference to H0. 3 of the drawing and in accordance withthe preferred embodiment of the invention, when the lower spray boxassembly 36 :is mounted in the housing 11 of dishwasher 10 a suitablemetal cover member 69 is slideably positionedin the pair of opposedinwardly facing U- shaped channel members 70 and 71. The center portions70a and 71a of channel members 70 and 71, respectively, are suitablysecured such as by welding to the center portions 62a and 63a ofU-shaped channel members 62 and 63, as best seen with reference to FIG.4. The metal cover member 69 serves a function similar to that ofscreens 67 and 68 in that it prevents the food particles dislodged fromthe dishes being cleaned from passing to the wash tank (not shown), aportion of which underlies the lower spray box assembly 36. Asillustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawing, metal cover member 69 carries alatch means 72 which cooperates with the corresponding verticallyslideabledoor 14- or 15, which closes the respective compartment inwhich the aforesaid lower spray box assembly 36 is mounted, when thelatter door is in the closed position to thereby retain the door inquestion in that position. With reference to upper spray box assembly35, no such metal cover member 69 normally need be utilized. Thus, as isnoted hereinabove with reference to the reasons previously set forth forthe elimination of the U -shaped channel member 62 and 63 insofar asupper spray box assembly 35 is concerned, the same holds truewith regardto the use therewith of U-shaped channel members 70 and 71 That is, thelatter mernbers70 and 71 may be eliminated or substituted for as sodesired without departing from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

insofar as thefunctionof the upper and lower spray box assemblies 35"and36, respectively, in thedishwasher 10 is concerned, theracks 24 ofsoiled dishes 23 as they are fed into the dishwasher are engaged aspreviously described by one or more lugs 28 of a conveyor system (notshown) and are caused to move therewith with the racks 24 beingslideably supported on L-shaped channel support members 29 and 30. Asbest seen with reference to FIG. 2 of the drawings, lower spray boxassembly 36 is mounted at a suitably distance below L-shaped members 29and 30. Similarly, upper spray box assembly 35 is mounted so as to besuitably spaced from the upper most portion of the articles which may beplaced in the racks 24 for passage through the dishwasher 10. Wash wateris fed into the respective upper or lower spray box assembly 35 or 36 bysuitable means such as the pipe 73 illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawingwhich in turn is connected by suitable means (not shown) to an inletopening 74 in the spray box assembly 36 as depicted in FIG. 4 of thedrawing. With further reference to FIG. 4 and lower spray box assembly36, it can be seen that the inlet opening 74 communicates with themanifold 43 while the latter communicates with the slots 58 provided inprotrusions 57 of spray plate 38 from whence the wash water exits in theform of a spray. The same principle of water flow occurs in the upperspray box assembly 35.

When it becomes necessary to clean any contaminants which may haveaccumulated in upper spray box assembly 35 and/or lower spray boxassembly 36, the operator of dishwasher 10 need only shut off the flowof water to the affected spray box assembly or assemblies byconventional controls (not shown), and then after having opened theappropriate compartment door unlatch the quick release fastener 59whereby the corresponding spray plate 38 may be pivoted to its openposition. For normal maintenance purposes, there is no necessity ofremoving the spray box assembly from the dishwasher E0. The operator byvirtue of the access to the interior of the dishwasher 10 afforded bythe full-width vertically slideable doors 14 and 15 is provided withsufficient freedom of movement to accomplish the task of efficientlycleaning the interior as well as the exterior of spray plate 38 and theother parts of the spray box assembly. As illustrated in dotted lines inFIG. 2, the spray plate associated with upper spray box assembly 35swings downwardly under the influence of gravity when its quick releasefastener is unlatched while the spray plate 38 of lower spray boxassembly 36 may be swung upwardly about hinge 56. Upon completion of thecleaning operation, the spray plate need only be closed back over itsassociated spray box and secured thereto by means of the latching of thecorresponding quick release fastener. There is no need to remount and/orrealign the wash spray water means after cleaning as in the case ofprior art types of wash spray water means. It should be noted that withthe spray plate 38 held in the closed position by the quick releasefastener 59, the gasket 46 will be compressed by the spray plate 38 tosuch an extent as to effectively provide a watertight seal between thespray plate 38 and the spray box 37.

In general, the upper and lower spray plate and box are fabricatedcompletely from stainless steel for corrosion resistance, includingfasteners, hinges, etc. The size of the box, mating plate, location ofslots and rows on the plate will depend upon the spray pattern, velocityand flow desired wherein spray pattern is defined by the fan shape ofthe spray, the longitudinal spread of each spray and the closeness ofeach spray. Spray pattern, velocity and flow may be selected for eachcategory of rack conveyor dishwasher to provide optimum cutting forceand cleansing spray to the dishes.

Thus, there has been provided a novel and improved spray box assemblyfor commercial dishwashers which has a construction which provideseasier accessibility to the various component parts thereof for cleaningpurposes than do prior existing types of spray head assemblies. Furtherthe spray box assembly in accordance with the instant invention may besanitized without-removal from the dishwasher and in considerably lesstime than heretofore possible with respect to prior existing types ofspray head assemblies. In operation, the spray box assembly of theinstant invention provides a pattern, velocity, and flow of spray whichenables optimum cutting force and cleansing spray to be applied to thedishes. Finally,

the subject spray box assembly is relatively inexpensive to manufacture,simple to assemble, but yet is durable in use and reliable in operation.

While only one embodiment of my invention has been shown, it will beappreciated that many modifications thereof may readily be made by thoseskilled in the art, some of which have been specifically mentionedhereinabove. I therefore intend by the appended claims to cover theabove modifications as well as all other modifications which fall withinthe true spirit and scope of my invention.

Iclaim:

1. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers comprising:

a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on saidbase, and having an open side opposite said base;

b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, andincluding means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern;

. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of saidspray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluiddischarge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern, saidfluid discharge means further including a plurality of protrusionsformed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said sprayplate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality ofgroups of elongated fluid discharge slots;

d. means mounting said spray plate on said spray box for movementbetween a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in saidclosed position closing said open side in said spray box and in saidopen position providing access for cleaning purposes to said innersurface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interiorof said spray box;

fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closedposition to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box.

f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plateto provide a substantially fluidtight seal therebetween when said sprayplate is latched to said spray box; and

g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluidto said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid enteringsaid fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and beingdischarged from said fluid discharge means in said spray plate in theform of said prescribed spray pattern.

2. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth inclaim 1 wherein;

a. said spray box further includes a manifold; and

b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposedside means, said opening communicating with said manifold.

3. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth inclaim 1 wherein the major dimension of each of said plurality of groupsof elongated fluid discharge slots extends at substantially right anglesto the major axis of each of said plurality of semicylindricalprotrusions.

4. A wash spray box assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

a. said fluid is wash water;

b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to saidspray box adjacent said open side thereof; and

c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by saidspray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on saidspray box.

5. In a commercial dishwasher at least one wash compartment, theimprovement comprising wash spray water means mounted in said washcompartment and including at least one wash spray box assemblycomprising:

a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on saidbase, and having an open side opposite said base;

b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, andincluding means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern;

c. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of saidspray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluiddischarge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern;

(1. means mounting said spray plate onsaid spray box for movementbetween a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in saidclosed position closing said open side in said spray box and in saidopen position providing access for cleaning purposes to said innersurface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interiorof said spray box;

e.'fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closedposition to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box;

f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plateto provide a substantially fluidtight sealed therebetween when saidspray'plate is latched to said spray box; and

g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluidto said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid enteringsaid fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and beingdischarged from said fluid discharge means in said sprayplate in theform of said prescribed spray pattern.

6. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein:

a. said spray box further includes a manifold;

b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposedside means, said opening communicating with said manifold; and

c. said fluid discharge means further includes a plurality ofsemicylindrical protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in saidouter surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions includingone of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots.

7. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 6 wherein the majordimension of each of said plurality of groups of elongated fluiddischarge slots extends at substantially right angles to the major axisof each of said plurality of semicylindrical protrusions.

8. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein:

a. said fluid is wash water;

b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to saidspray box adjacent said open side thereof; and

c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by saidspray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on saidspray box.

9. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein said washspray water means further includes at least one other wash spray boxassembly mounted in said one wash compartment in opposed spaced relationto said one wash spray box assembly.

1. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers comprising: a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on said base, and having an open side opposite said base; b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, and including means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern; c. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of said spray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluid dischArge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern, said fluid discharge means further including a plurality of protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots; d. means mounting said spray plate on said spray box for movement between a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in said closed position closing said open side in said spray box and in said open position providing access for cleaning purposes to said inner surface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interior of said spray box; e. fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closed position to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box. f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plate to provide a substantially fluidtight seal therebetween when said spray plate is latched to said spray box; and g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluid to said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid entering said fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and being discharged from said fluid discharge means in said spray plate in the form of said prescribed spray pattern.
 2. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth in claim 1 wherein; a. said spray box further includes a manifold; and b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposed side means, said opening communicating with said manifold.
 3. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth in claim 1 wherein the major dimension of each of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots extends at substantially right angles to the major axis of each of said plurality of semicylindrical protrusions.
 4. A wash spray box assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said fluid is wash water; b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to said spray box adjacent said open side thereof; and c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by said spray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on said spray box.
 5. In a commercial dishwasher at least one wash compartment, the improvement comprising wash spray water means mounted in said wash compartment and including at least one wash spray box assembly comprising: a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on said base, and having an open side opposite said base; b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, and including means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern; c. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of said spray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern; d. means mounting said spray plate on said spray box for movement between a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in said closed position closing said open side in said spray box and in said open position providing access for cleaning purposes to said inner surface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interior of said spray box; e. fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closed position to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box; f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plate to provide a substantially fluidtight sealed therebetween when said spray plate is latched to said spray box; and g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluid to said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid entering said fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and being discharged from said fluid discharge means in said spray plate in the form of said prescribed spray pattern.
 6. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 whereiN: a. said spray box further includes a manifold; b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposed side means, said opening communicating with said manifold; and c. said fluid discharge means further includes a plurality of semicylindrical protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots.
 7. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 6 wherein the major dimension of each of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots extends at substantially right angles to the major axis of each of said plurality of semicylindrical protrusions.
 8. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein: a. said fluid is wash water; b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to said spray box adjacent said open side thereof; and c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by said spray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on said spray box.
 9. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein said wash spray water means further includes at least one other wash spray box assembly mounted in said one wash compartment in opposed spaced relation to said one wash spray box assembly. 